Texas linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith dismissed, reshaping depth chart under position coach Johnny Nansen

Texas lost junior linebacker Ty’Anthony Smith from the program on Friday, with the school citing “conduct detrimental to the team.” For the Longhorns, the decision is more than a personnel change. It directly tightens the margin at linebacker, a spot where Texas’ staff had already been tracking depth and reliability during the spring, according to reporting tied to the situation.

The immediate operational impact comes through the snap-count reality for the group Texas expects to lean on in 2026. After last season’s leaders moved on, the remaining core at linebacker shrank further. Reporting indicates position coach Johnny Nansen now returns less than 100 snaps from last year’s group, a small number for a program that needs continuity in gap integrity, coverage communication, and the ability to keep linebackers fresh across a full game plan.

Texas’ linebacker workload has been reshuffled in waves. Anthony Hill Jr. has declared for the NFL Draft, removing one of the most experienced pieces from the depth picture. In addition, Trey Moore and Marshall Landwehr have exhausted their eligibility, closing the book on their college careers and further reducing returning playing time for the unit.

The offseason picture also includes roster churn via the transfer portal. Reporting indicates that Liona Lefau and Bo Barnes have entered the portal, which means Texas is not only replacing bodies, it is also preparing for the loss of offseason learning and execution time that typically matters for linebacker schemes, especially when a staff has multiple assignments to coordinate with the secondary and defensive front.

Taken together, Smith’s dismissal accelerates a timeline Texas likely wanted more stable. Even if a team recruits and develops well, rebuilding trust in a linebacker rotation usually takes reps, film review, and consistent practice habits. When multiple exits happen close together, coaches often have to compress development phases or ask a wider set of players to handle linebacker responsibilities earlier than planned.

What to watch next is how Texas reallocates reps across the unit and what the staff prioritizes first. With fewer returning snaps, the most important early indicators will be whether Texas can maintain coverage communication and run-defense keys when formations shift, and whether new or less-proven players can absorb first- and second-team roles without creating systematic breakdowns.

This report is based on a non-official account of the dismissal and the surrounding roster timeline. Until Texas releases more details through official channels, the most accurate way to frame this story is as a depth-chart and preparation pressure point, not a full explanation of circumstances beyond the program’s stated reason.